AIDS Documentary Shortlisted for Oscar

We Were Here, an affecting look at the terrifying early years of the AIDS epidemic and how it ravaged San Francisco, has made the short list of documentary films that will be considered for an Academy Award nomination.

The film opened to exceptional reviews in September and accomplished what every good documentary aspires to -- sparking a dialogue, here between survivors of that era and a younger generation of gay men who are often afraid to ask about the AIDS crisis. In August director David Weissman described the making of the film to The Advocate, saying, "We cried pretty much every day in the editing room, but there was a point where we realized we weren't crying at sadness, we were crying at beauty. Partly the beauty that was being expressed on-screen but partly a realization of what it might generate, the healing capacity of the film."

Each year, the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Documentaries Screening Committee select a short list of 15 films that are eligible for consideration for nomination for an Oscar for Best Documentary. We Were Here has been announced as one of the 15 films that will be considered for the 2011 nominations, which will be announced January 24. "Regardless of what happens from here on in, the short list itself is a great honor, and tremendous validation for the film," Weissman says.

Watch the film's trailer below. Read an interview with the filmmakers here.